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In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, businessLine’s Ayushi Kar speaks to Vivan Sharan, Partner, Koan Advisory Group, focusing on the recent developments in the the country’s legislative landscape, particularly honing in on two crucial bills that are shaping the digital and telecom sectors.
The discussion kicks off with Ayushi probing Vivan about the industry’s reactions to the bill, especially its exclusion of explicit references to the regulation of over-the-top (OTT) services. Vivan highlights the relief within the industry, emphasising the specialised nature of telecom laws meant to govern data carriage.
Vivan sheds light on the distinction between content and carriage, emphasising the importance of avoiding regulatory confusion.
Ayushi then addresses concerns about potential future regulations on internet firms and OTT services. Vivan dismisses these concerns, pointing out the clarity in the legislative intent and emphasising the need to treat different technologies differently.
The podcast goes on to explore the complexities arising from their attempt to define broadcasting broadly. Vivan criticizes the bill’s failure to recognise the fundamental differences between broadcasting services and OTT platforms. He discusses the need for specialised treatment for OTT services and critiques the lack of specificity in content regulation guidelines.
In the latter part of the podcast, Vivan provides a detailed analysis of the shift from auction to allocation in the broadband market, examining how this change benefits new entrants, particularly satellite internet firms. He discusses the challenges of efficiently managing spectrum allocation through auctions and how administrative allocation addresses these concerns.
The discussion concludes with insights into the impact of the bill on business rights, content regulation, and potential challenges in implementing such regulatory frameworks.
Host: Ayushi Kar, Producer: Amitha Rajkumar
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About the State of the Economy podcast
India’s economy has been hailed as a bright spot amid the general gloom that seems to have enveloped the rest of the world. But several sectors continue to stutter even as others seem set to fire on all cylinders. To help you make sense of the bundle of contradictions that the country is, businessline brings you podcasts with experts ranging from finance and marketing to technology and start-ups
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